Warning: this post contains sentiment. If you are cynical and/or British, you might want to avert your eyes. Alternatively, read this and then go watch some Charlie Brooker. For those of you still around, bear with me. It is really hard to write something like this without falling into an abyss of clichés.

A couple of days ago, Dave Munger, under a veil of tightest secrecy, told me that I’ve won the big prize in the first ever Research Blogging Awards. Not Exactly Rocket Science is apparently the Research Blog of the Year, as well as Best Lay-Level Blog and home of the Best Post of the Year (for duck sex). The announcements have just been made public and there’s an interview between Dave and myself coming up shortly on the SEED website.

Needless to say, I’m incredibly honoured, especially given that the awards were voted for by a jury of peers and colleages. I’ve been blogging for 3.5 years now. Right from the start, writing Not Exactly Rocket Science has been a labour of love, and often a lonely one carried out in the solitary hours of the night. I certainly enjoy what I do, but it’s always gratifying to learn that other people think well of it.

Plus I get a nice badge (see above), although it’s legitimacy as a blogging award badge is seriously questionable given the use of only one exclamation mark.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Research Blogging Awards, they deal with blogs that describe scientific research, the prizes are sponsored by SEED, the nomination lists were drawn up by a panel of superstar bloggers and the final votes were cast by registered members of the ResearchBlogging community. In my mind, they are a fantastic idea. It is baffling that even now, bloggers often have to justify ourselves against straw-man accusations that we are nothing more than vitriolic agitators, when, in fact, the blogosphere is awash with excellent content. Getting bloggers together to celebrate that quailty can only be a good thing.

And finally, to everyone who voted, I offer my sincere and humble thanks. I can only say that I have every intention of continuing with Not Exactly Rocket Science and trying to improve the quality of material that appears here.

And while we’re on that topic, I have a big announceme.. oh look, is that the time?

I haven’t commented here before, but I read regularly through RSS. There’s so much terrible science writing, and so many papers are locked behind paywalls, and responsible science writing is often sadly kind of boring. This blog rocks: the prose is a pleasure to read, the stories are fascinating, and the critical analysis of the significance of the findings is very welcome. All of which is to say, your award is richly deserved, and I hope to keep reading your work for many years to come.

Congratulations, Ed! And well deserved! Your blog is one of my favorite blogs, by far. I’m a scientist and I understand how absolutely difficult it is to be a good science writer. You have the gift of explaining things clearly for lay people, but you never dumb things down. I find your writing very balanced and your critiques very thoughtful.

I stumbled upon your blog (literally) a few weeks ago and it has made it to my bookmarks toolbar at the top of Firefox. I feel like if I had more time I’d love to read more scientific journals, but you find the good ones for me and condense them down to be so readable. Thanks for everything, and I shall continue to follow!

As long as you’re plugging the best of the best of the competition, let me put in a good word for Small Things Considered, by Moselio Schaechter and Merry Youle and guests over at http://schaechter.asmblog.org/ . (No affiliation.)

Years ago, as I hacked my way painfully through an article in Nature, I said to myself, “We really need someone to interpret this stuff for us”.

It seemed to me that, if one could assemble the right talent, he could produce a wonderful magazine just by re-writing the most interesting articles from science journals in a way that the general public could follow. Scientific American used to do something like that, before that horrible man wrecked it, and it has never been replaced. Then a few months ago, I stumbled upon your site, where you were doing exactly what I’d imagined and giving it away for free. I was astonished.

Thanks. I sincerely hope that you continue doing what you do so well, but I also think that, should you be so inclined, you have the kind of talent that would play well on a larger canvas.

Congratulations!! Truly well deserved, I was hoping you’d win. This blog is beyond brilliant, you really hit the nail on the head every time you and your passion and enthusiasm for the science you write about is infectious.

Congratulations, Ed! Even as someone who likes my science less, well, alive than most of your posts, I have to say that you do a fabulous job of making me read with great interest your wonderfully clear explanations of some really cool science. Plus, I will never look at ducks the same way again.